Queen Odette
Queen Odette is the ruler of the Netherworld and the creator of the Phozon Crystals. Appearance Odette, being the queen of the Netherworld and the dead, is undead herself. Parts of her body are skeletal with no flesh at all, such as her arms, neck, and the exposed spine of her back. Her bones appear to have a greenish tinge, as do those of her subjects: green seems to be the prevalent color in the underworld; the color of decay. What skin she does have, such as her face and very large breasts, are pale to the point of ghastly pallor with a greenish-bluish tinge, such as one would expect from a dead body. Despite her frightening and somewhat ghastly appearance, Odette is beautiful still, and cuts an impressive figure. She has pointed ears, red eyes with black sclera, purple lips, and pale purple hair done in a tight braided hairstyle which sticks up in the back on both sides (it's two braids). She wears a gracefully moving deep purple and blue/black dress accented with lace, which is continually flowing. The bodice of the dress is cut very revealingly as to greatly show Odette's enormous cleavage, so much so that her breasts nearly seem exposed. She also wears a large, fanned, cap-like headdress of deep bluish purple edged with a lace pattern, banded with purple and accented with bone around the forehead. She usually appears with a crescent moon behind her, and sometimes she carries a lantern. Personality Being the queen of the dead, Odette is as frightening as her looks indicate. She is regarded as an absolute tyrant who enjoys seeing the dead suffer within her kingdom for no real reason except the very fact that she can very well do with her realm exactly as she pleases. She takes her authority very seriously and finds it disgusting whenever somebody even hints at violating her position as queen and ruler, be it willingly or unwillingly so. She hates Odin the most because he frequently plunders jewels from her kingdom for his own gain without her consent, something he frequently scorns off since she cannot beat him. She is also very easily provoked, and is always quick to challenge any 'visitor' to her realm who do not belong there, especially should they so as much as attempt to ask a favour of her: she finds the very notion disrespectful, or believes that they are otherwise transgressing the law of her domain. She for odd reasons seems to have a twisted sense of right, for one she believes that death is a blessing when facing Cornelius and when faced with her own destruction downright admits that death will be even more terrible, suggesting she is totally aware of her cruel tyranny but nonetheless has little care for all the suffering she inflicts. But she is not inherently evil. Her offering Cornelius a lenient death because in her eyes- and perhaps in truth- it is a mercy compared to what could happen to him- whether in or out of her realm, especially considering how much he suffered after returning to the world of the living. She also tells Gwendolyn, in her last moments, that the world of the dead was stable because of her presence there- Odette's existence was the only reason anyone with breath and warm blood could enter her realm at all, and it is entirely possible that without her there, though the residents of Endelphia, living in a rotting hell, already suffer, that they and all who die henceforth will suffer worse, perhaps even....fates worse than death. She did not explain further, and now that she is gone, the answer will never become clearer. As it is revealed in some documents, it is believed that Odette yearns for somebody alive to keep her company, something that she can never find in her kingdom for obvious reasons and thus mistreats the inhabitants of her realm purely to vent out her own frustrations. It is implied- vaguely- that Odette herself was once a human, a mortal woman who for whatever reason, entered the underworld. It may be that she is at once both alive and dead, and hence, has flesh while being skeletal. Because she is technically still living, she wishes for the company of another living being, someone who has warmth within them still. It is likely for this very reason that she is fond of Oswald, believing him to be of her own property as per the contract established for the Belderiver and thus that she can do with him as she wants. Regardless she does not seem to care much for him either as when he was captured, he was seen in a weakened state. Powers and Abilities Odette is obviously powerful, as a Queen in her own right, and as the creator of Phozon crystals, the power behind the Psypher weapons- especially Belderiver. She is immensely strong, and little can hurt her. Those who have been sold to her via contract cannot harm her at all, and she said herself that the Psypher weapons, made from her power, cannot harm her. It was said that Odette was a human who entered the underworld but survived. P If true, it is a testament to the strength of her sheer will, and own strength to survive. She is able to transfigure her body, at times, revealing a monstrous spider shape beneath her skirts. She can summon ghosts and shambling corpses, and creates hurling axe blades from the air. It seems that Odette's very presence is somehow linked to death itself, and she warns Gwendolyn in her last breaths that with her own destruction, 'death will become more horrible then ever.' This may be indicitivate that those who die will be left to wander without guidance or unable to rest forever, or simply be unable to properly die. She does say that with her death, no one may enter the Netherworld anymore. In Leifthrasir she gains different abilities, being capable of using the fire of her Lantern, summon spears made of corpses and even summon a giant skeletal hand to shoot magical projectiles. Relationships with other characters Cornelius The first time Odette is introduced chronologically is when Cornelius finds himself in the Netherworld and wishes to leave the dreadful place. Odette is unwilling to let the living pass through her realm at will, and so gives Cornelius the opportunity to give her his Psypher Sword in exchange for a peaceful death. This is her way of showing mercy, yet Cornelius ends up fighting her to gain his freedom. She allows him to leave, but warns him of Odin and the Valkyries as he goes. Velvet The second time Odette is met by the main characters is when Velvet ventures to Endelphia to speak with King Gallon and learn of the prophecies. Velvet is aided in this by Skuldi, who is quick to make himself scarce when Odette appears and decides to punish Velvet for trespassing on her land. Velvet defeats Odette and is approached by Odin, who happened to be in the Netherworld collecting crystals at that time. Demon Lord Odin A recurring theme with Odette is her intense hatred for Odin and his habits of wandering into her domain to plunder phozon crystals, and she often calls him a 'jewel thief' to reflect that. Odin in return acts with a mocking disregard for her authority, with words like 'I will refrain from kissing your hand, but I will restrain myself in your court'. He seems willing to threaten the Queen, and could very well cause her serious harm, but he seems to understand the importance of her presence, and the risks of inciting the wrath of Odette's undead armies. Oswald After Melvin's failed coup in Ringford, Oswald is taken by the Halja to serve under Odette for eternity, as per the contract Melvin agreed to. Oswald wanders in loneliness and despair for a time until he feels hope at seeing the little blue bird that accompanies Gwendolyn in many scenes. With new conviction, Oswald sets out to leave the Netherworld but encounters Odette herself. His first reaction is to attack her, but as his powers were granted by her in the first place, it's an ineffective assault. Odette looks down on Oswald as a mix between a subject and a son, seeming to want his devotion yet confident that she already owns him. Naturally Oswald doesn't show any interest in serving a new master after feeling betrayed by Melvin, but the Queen offers him freedom from her servitude if he defeated the intruder to her realm. This turns out to be Odin, who thusly fights with Oswald, and afterwards offers to take him out of the Netherworld. The relationship between Odette and Oswald is not developed further after this, but the recurring theme is Oswald's growing weakness and the return of the Halja to take him back to the Queen. Oswald is the only main character who does not fight Odette at some point, due to being physically incapable of harming her. Mercedes When the Fairy Queen ventures into the Netherworld, guided by Beldor, to find Brom the Psyphersmith, she has to fight with the Queen of the Dead. Mercedes appears to be just another annoyance to Odette, as more living people have no qualms about invading her land. Gwendolyn Gwendolyn first appears to be another living soul who uses Odette's stolen jewels, but it soon becomes clear that the valkyrie has gone there to free Oswald's soul. Odette is convinced of her ownership of him after the agreement with the Belderiver, but Gwendolyn defeats her in combat and this kills Odette. Most likely it is due to Odette's repeated defeats at the hands of the psypher-wielders rather than Gwendolyn having a particularly effective weapon, and so this is the last time Odette is seen in the story. King Gallon Odette seems to have delighted in tormenting Gallon as soon as he reached the Netherworld. A sadistic side of Odette comes out when she cursed Gallon's body to always rot and never die, and keeps him chained up in the darkest parts of Endelphia. Even so, she seems to fear him, and sees it as more important to send the Halja to rechain him than to chase after Mercedes and Brom. It is entirely possible that she sees him as a dangerous possession, which makes it all the more valuable. Gallon, for his part, shows no love for Odette at any point and instead shows a mix of hatred and fear, the former for his imprisonment and continuous torment, and the latter for the power she has/had over him, as evidenced when Oswald confronts the cursed King. Trivia Queen Odette is most likely based on the goddess Hel from Norse mythology, who rules over the land of the dead, Nifleheim. Hel is said to have had a body in two halves- one half appeared as a lovely young woman, the other a skeletal corpse, so she appeared as one or the other depending on which side she was viewed from. Category:Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Bosses